buy time
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buy time (third-person singular simple present buys time, present participle buying time, simple past and past participle bought time)
- (idiomatic) To purposefully cause a delay, in order to achieve something else.
- We need you to buy us some time, so distract the security guard for a few minutes.
- 2020 September 25, Reuters Staff, “Thai republican hashtag trends after constitution change delayed”, in Reuters[1], Reuters, retrieved 2020-09-25:
- Parliament, dominated by supporters of the government, voted on Thursday to delay making a decision on whether it will amend the constitution. The decision angered protesters and opposition parliamentarians, who accused parliament of trying to buy time.
- Synonyms: gain time, play for time
Translations edit
purposefully cause a delay, in order to achieve something else
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